IT TAKES TWO
To match the work of one social worker
Where others saw lost causes, Bonnie Pope-packer found people who needed to be listened to.
And it is testament to the social worker’s dedication to the Palmerston North community, that it will take two people to replace her.
Pope-packer built the Community Connections service in Manawatu¯ and Horowhenua up from scratch.
As its co-ordinator she focused on people with disabilities and special needs who were too difficult for other services to support.
But it was now time to move on, enjoy a more conventional nine-to-five job in Levin and ‘‘recharge the batteries’’.
Pope-packer started as a Community
"You often find that people have the answers themselves. If you just listen." Bonnie Pope-packer
Connections support worker in Paraparaumu 10 years ago. She left it to set up the Palmerston North service centre in 2012.
She started by supporting two special needs people who had fallen through the cracks. Other services wouldn’t go near them because of their behaviour, and how challenging they could be to deal with.
‘‘Because it was a new area, I was able to grow the garden from scratch, I could cultivate that culture.’’
One of her innovations was to allow clients and their families to take the lead in interviewing new caregivers.
It was emblematic of her brand of social work, which was focused on listening and respect.
Pope-packer said many of the people she helped could seem like lost causes, if you just looked at their paperwork.
‘‘But when you put that aside, and go to them as a fellow citizen of Aotearoa, you often find that people have the answers themselves. If you just listen.’’
She said she couldn’t have achieved half of what she did without the hard work and sacrifice of the centre’s staff, who worked long, stressful hours, and often put personal matters aside to support their charges.
Pope-packer said she would return to social work in the near future.
‘‘This is what my passion is ... I’m taking a break, but I absolutely will be back.’’
Palmerston North father Saad Al-harran was one of about 40 people who gathered for an emotional farewell to Pope-packer earlier this month.
He said his son was one of the many lives Pope-packer’s patient and respectful approach had improved.
‘‘Bonnie was a gift, a miracle sent from God for us to ease our suffering over the past year. What she has done for my son is beyond words.’’
Community Connections now supported 65 people across Manawatu¯ and Horowhenua, and employed about 60 staff and caregivers.
Its executive director John Taylor said Pope-packer has spent the past six months helping select and prepare her two replacements to ensure a smooth transition.
‘‘Bonnie’s an enthusiastic and very passionate person who brought a unique way of looking at situations. [She’s] done a great job, but frankly it was more than one person could manage.’’
Dianne Worrall, an experienced support worker from the Hutt Valley office, has now started in the role. Deacon Fisher, a recent Masters in Ma¯ ori Health graduate who speaks fluent te reo, is due to start in April.